Case Study_maxxi Museum

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE XXI CENTURY ARTS (MAXXI MUSEUM), Rome, Italy

The MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts is a national museum

dedicated to contemporary creativity, located in the Flaminio neighbourhood of Rome,

Italy, in the area of the former Montello military barracks. It is managed by a foundation

created by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. The complex houses

two institutions: MAXXI Arte (Director Anna Mattirolo) and MAXXI Architecture (Director

Margherita Guccione), aiming to promote art and architecture through collection,

conservation, study and exhibition of contemporary works. In addition to the two

museums the MAXXI includes an auditorium, library and media library, bookshop and

cafeteria, spaces for temporary exhibitions, outdoor spaces, live events and commercial

activities, laboratories, and places for study and leisure.

As of today, over 300 works are part of the MAXXI Art collection, including those

of Boetti, Clemente, Kapoor, Kentridge, Merz, Penone, Pintaldi, Richter, Warhol and

many others. MAXXI Architecture includes the files of the designs of Carlo Scarpa, Aldo

Rossi, Pierluigi Nervi and others, as well as the projects of contemporary authors such

CHAPTER III: TERMS OF REFERENCE 1

Photo by Helen BinetPhoto by Helen Binet

as Toyo Ito, Italo Rota and Giancarlo

De Carlo, and photography

collections of the projects Italian

Atlas and Author’s Site.

Project facts:

Dimensions

Total site area: 29,000 m2

Exterior spaces: 19,640 m2

Interior spaces: 21,200 m2

Exhibition spaces: 10,000 m2

Facilities (auditorium, library

and media center, coffee shop, restaurant, admin.): 6,000 m2

MAXXI Arte: 4,077 m2

MAXXI Architecture: 1,935 m2

Maximum height: 22.90 m

Cost: EUR 150 Million

Visitors forecast: between 200,000 and 400,000 per year1

Architectural Analysis

The Maxxi Museum materialized the concept of the confluence of lines, where

the primary force of the site is the walls that constantly intersect and separate to create

both indoor and outdoor spaces. It’s no longer just a museum, but an urban cultural

centre where a dense texture of interior and exterior spaces have been intertwined and

superimposed over one another. It’s a mixture of galleries, irrigating a large urban field

with linear display surfaces.

1 From Zaha Hadid Architects - MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome,, http://www.archinnovations.com, 2009


Aerial view of Maxxi Museum

Photo by Iwan Baan

Aerial view of Maxxi Museum

Photo by Iwan Baan

The walls of the MAXXI create major streams and minor streams. The major

streams are the galleries, and the minor streams are the connections and the bridges.

This system acts on all three levels of the building, the second of which is the more

complex - with a wealth of connections with various bridges that link buildings and

galleries. The visitor is invited to enter into a series of continuous spaces, rather than

the compact volume of an isolated building. Outside, a pedestrian walkway follows the


Maxxi Museum Site Plan, Source: http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk; modified by Zeus Salvo

VEHICULAR PATH

PEDESTRIAN PATH

ENTRY

outline of the building, restoring an urban link that has been blocked for almost a

century by the former military barracks.

The two museums - MAXXI Art and MAXXI Architecture – are located around a

large full height space which gives access to the galleries dedicated to permanent

collections and temporary exhibitions, the auditorium, reception services, cafeteria and

bookshop.


ENTRY POINTS

VERTICAL CIRCULATION

Source: http://www.archinnovations.com


Source: http://www.archinnovations.com

ALSO SERVES AS VIEWING DECK

GLAZING AND STRUCTURAL RIBS THAT FILTERS LIGHT

OPEN BELOW ALLOWING NATURAL LIGHT

INTERTWINED BRIDGES WHICH IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE INTERIOR

Two principle architectural elements characterize the project: the concrete walls

that define the exhibition galleries and determine the interweaving of volumes; and the

transparent roof that modulates natural light. The roofing system complies with the

highest standards required for museums and is composed of integrated frames and

louvers with devices for filtering sunlight, artificial light and environmental control.2

2 From Zaha Hadid Architects - MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome,, http://www.archinnovations.com, 2009


Maxxi Museum interior, Photo by Iwan Baan

SUNLIGHT IS BEING FILTERED

WARM AIR EXITS THROUGH THE VOIDS

COOL AIR ENTERS

Cross section of Maxxi Museum main lobby, Source: http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk; modified by Zeus Salvo

The sections of the building as compared to the floor plans are also irregular in

configuration. The Main Lobby has a high ceiling with piles of beam supporting the glass

roof on the top. Underneath the beams are bottom rails in which some displays are

hanged. Almost all of the spaces covered in the section area are provided with natural

sunlight through the glass roof which makes every spaces energy efficient.

Findings and Analysis

The site has a unique L-shaped footprint that winds between two existing

buildings. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, they used it as an advantage, taking it

as an opportunity to explore the possibilities of linear structure by bundling, twisting, and

building mass in some areas and reducing it in others - threading linearity throughout

both interior and exterior. The fluid and twisting shapes and the moderated use of

natural light lead to a spatial and functional framework of great complexity, offering

constantly changing and unexpected views from within the building and outdoor spaces.

Its external as well as its internal circulation follows the overall geometry of the

structure. The drifting emerges, therefore, as both architectural motif, and also as a way

to navigate experientially through the museum.

Glass roofing is provided throughout the building which follows the contour of the

plan, this provides every space in the building with enough lighting that minimizes the

use of electricity thus making the structure energy efficient. Underneath the glass roof

area are piles of slender beams that follow the shape of the glass, it serves as a guide

for visitors / viewers of the area. Together with the beams, below them are bottom rails

provided for suspended art exhibit.

Recommendation/ Application to the Study


One of the most prominent features of the museum, the circulation and

navigation through the museum would be considered for the current study. The use of

skylight and the strategies on how is it being utilized in the Maxxi museum would also

be considered to enhance the environment of the project. As for aesthetic, the concept

will might be used only as a basis and guide.


Case Study_maxxi Museum

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